Blood in the Mobile Page #2

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For that I need to talk to Silvy from the press office.

You fly over, and for hours its like broccoli...crop, you know.

Is just like trees, trees, trees.

You dont see anything.

Every once in a while you see a little bit-

-of broccoli fields destroyed, and its a mine.

Even thought the UN is carefull about commenting on what goes on-

-they dont seem to have a problem flying me to Walikale.

Youre going to Bisie?

Where they kill people?

Pay attention!

These people are out of control.

So anything can happen, man.

And you will be deep in the forest. 90 kilometers in the forest.

Its not a joke, so be careful. Be careful.

Lord, we are offering you our day. Protect each one of us.

Let your blessing reach each one of us.

Itll take a copule of days for the UN to do the paperwork necessary-

-for me to get on a helicopter to Walikale.

Jesus, son of god, has been here and gone back to heaven.

He will come back, but we dont know when.

Im a great evangelist.

May the Holy Ghost bless you.

How do I get the information, the UN wont give me?

I find the bar in Goma, where the white people go.

I want to know about the connection between mining and the armed groups.

Im told it can be dangerous to ask too many questions here.

But I find some guys from MPC, Mining Processing Company-

-and I decide to get drunk whith them.

The next morning I wake up in the house of one of them.

Barman wont be interviewed, but last night he told me-

-that his employer owns the license for the mine, where I want to go.

He says that none of his colleagues want to be interviewed either.

But that afternoon he takes me to their office anyway.

My finger...Goma.

Thats where we are.

And the blue patches...

...are what they call exploration, or rather...

-exploitation permits-

-of the main tin and tungsten concessions.

Thes are a spill-over from the Belgian colonial mining days.

What can you tell me about the armed groups in this area?

Well, its actually quite dynamic. Weve done some exploration here.

The geologist moved in here. And suddenly they came out of the bush.

The main road from there to Lubutu-

-30 km, was controlled by the Simba. They took $30 for us to pass through.

And then therell obviously be the 85. brigade.

Theyll have blocks somewhere along this road.

Youll also have general Nkundas crowd around here.

Youll have the Interahamwes in the mountain here. They take taxes too.

Its really dynamic. They set up a place, maintain it and move off.

From Goma to the Bisie mine, where my finger is-

-were looking at about 170 kilometers by plane.

And Walikale, where...

Here is Walikale. Its about 130 kilometers by plane.

-And wheres Bisie?

-Up there.

Is it dangerous to go to Bisie as a film maker to make a film?

It depends on how drunk the people are. How much money they want.

The people from MPC hace waited two years to get access to Bisie-

-while different armed groups have been in control of the mine.

Right now Bisie is controlled by the Congolese army, FRDC.

According to the MPC the army is acting just like the armed groups.

-Colonel Sami is a prick.

-Listen, I can still hear you!

Come again. What were you saying?

We were just mentioning...Who do you believe in this country?

So tell me. Who should I believe?

-Us..Of course.

-What...? Who should I believe?

-Us.

-Why?

We personally havent got much to gain apart from our salary.

Were employed. Thats it.

Bernard from the UN press office calls me.

A massacre has occurred in the Bisie mine in Walikale.

Bernard works for the UN press office, but cant speak on behalf of the UN.

We agree I can come to his house, and hell talk to me as a private person.

Excuse me, sir. Is it the press or what?

-Yes, were from the press.

-Which press?

Thats not good, sir. Driver, swhitch the engine off.

-Arrest him. Hes filming.

-Driver, switch the engine off!

Dont you be stupid! Im a soldier.

Hes white...Why is he filming?

Just stop the engine!

-Show them the permit.

-Swhitch it off!

-The engine is not the problem.

-Why is he filming?

He has a permit.

It seems that a group of Mai-Mai, who came from a place-

-that is situated 40 kilometers away-

-came to loot the diggers.

Those who are digging in the forest. Digging for whom?

We dont have any idea.

Is it the Mai-Mai or the FDLR, who came back-

-to try to take back what they consider their goods

Their coltan, their cassiterite...Al the things theyre taking from Bisie.

From Bisie...

Whos selling it?

It was under control of the FDLR.

And then came the Congolesse business men...

They used to come and buy and then bring it to Goma.

From Goma to Rwanda or Uganda. And from Uganda to Europe.

To do what? For mobile phones and computers.

And after that... From the money they buy guns.

Of course. They buy guns to continue the war.

Just today I met a woman called Massika.

She has been raped three times.

The first time they killed her husband right in front of her.

Cutting him into little pieces.

And then they asked her to put the pieces together again-

-and then to sleeps on the pieces.

And they raped her on the pieces of her husband. Can you imagine?

They asked her if shed ever eaten chewing-gum.

She said yes. Then they took the penis of her husband, the head-

-and the put it in her mouth and asked her to eat the chewing gum.

You cant imagine whats going on, man.

Walikale...I think youre going there, but pay attention. Be careful.

Because anything can happen.

Anything can happen. If you discover, for example-

-that FRDC has done something wrong-

-you are in trouble. If you find something wrong with the FDLR-

-youre in trouble. If you film something wrong about the Mai-Mai-

-and they see that this can be dangerous for them...You are dead.

So you are in danger in all the sites. Pay attention.

The next day I go back to Silvy at the UN HQ to collect my permit-

-to fly whith a helicopter to Walikale.

Be aware that the FDLR at the moment...

...are on a rampage campaign.

Theyre on a rampage campagin. They strike very strongly at the civilians.

We cant exclude the possibility-

-of them striking some foreigners or other people...

Anything can happen, so theres no way Im sending people out there.

The rule in this specific case is that this is a no-go area.

And the debate is closed. Im sorry. Okay?

I dont know what goes on in Walikale. It seems very dangerous to go there.

I start to doubt whether this project was a good idea.

But i dont feel ready to give up just yet.

To go to Walikale without the protection of the UN-

-I need permission from the national army, FRDC.

Im told that Ill never get permission to go to Walikale-

-because high-ranking officers make a lot of money on the minerals.

They didnt tell you that you must have permission from the army?

-Thats why we are here.

-Thats why youre here...Wait.

There is a commander-

-whos in charge of intelligence for the whole region.

Its him who must decide what we can do.

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